Hutt River Province Principality Dollar

Principality of Hutt River

The Hutt River Principality previously known as Hutt River Province, is Australia's oldest micronation. It has claimed to be an independent sovereign state since its foundation, but has never been formally acknowledged by the Commonwealth of Australia or any other international entity.

It is located on a large farming property 517 km north of Perth, near the town of Geraldton.

The principality was founded on 21 April, 1970 by Leonard George Casley (born 28 August 1925), when he and his associates proclaimed their secession from the state of Western Australia. Casley now styles himself "His Royal Highness Prince Leonard I".

History

The province was created in 1969 in response to a dispute with the government of Western Australia over what the Casley family saw as draconian wheat quotas Initially the five families who owned farms in Hutt River banded together to fight the quota but when the government threatened to "resume" their rural lands under eminent domain Casley and his associates resorted to a British law (the Treason Act 1495) which they felt allowed them to secede and declare their independence from the Commonwealth of Australia. Casley states that he nonetheless remains loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. Casley was elected administrator of the new "sovereign state" by his family. After the government threatened him with prosecution Casley styled himself His Royal Highness Prince Leonard of Hutt to take advantage of a Commonwealth law that a monarch could not only not be charged but that anyone who interfered with his duties could be charged with treason. Although this loophole has since been closed, the Australian government has not taken any action against Hutt River since the declaration.

The government of Western Australia determined they could do nothing without the intervention of the Commonwealth however, the Governor General of Australia, Sir Paul Hasluck stated that it was unconstitutional for the Commonwealth to intervene in the secession. In correspondence with the Governor General's Department, Mr Casley was addressed as the Administrator of the Hutt River Province which, under the application of Royal Prerogative, made this recognition binding on all Courts. The Australian Government's official current position on the Principality is that it is nothing more than a private enterprise operating under a business name.

In the early 1980s Hutt River Province declared itself to be a kingdom, but soon afterwards reverted to its original status of a principality. The principality proceeded to release a veritable flood of stamp and coin issues.

In September 2006 Prince Leonard decided to officially change the name to "Principality of Hutt River" and dropping the word "Province".

Currency

The first Hutt River coins were not issued until 1976. The currency of the Hutt River Province Principality is the Hutt River Dollar, which is divided into 100 Cents. The Hutt River Dollar is tied at a one-to-one ratio with the Australian dollar.

The first series (1976–78)

There were four denominations: 5c, 10c, 20c, and 50c. These were issued between 1976 and 1978, but the 1978 issue was a proof only issue. There was also a silver $30 coin and a gold $100 coin, struck only in proof.

First Series
Value	Technical parameters		Description			Date of first minting
Value	Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	Date of first minting
5c	16.5 mm	Aluminium	Plain	Prince Leonard	Coat of arms	1976
10c	19.1 mm	Copper
20c	22.4 mm	Brass
50c	24.9 mm	Cupronickel
$30	38.1 mm	999‰ silver	Reeded
$100	25 mm	24 carat gold	Plain

Silver Jubilee $1 coin

In 1977 $1 coins were struck to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. These coins are known as 'Holey dollars', which is a nickname that is applied to the extremely rare New South Wales 5/- coin and to the Prince Edward Island 5/- piece as well, which were cut and counterstamped from Spanish-American Pieces of Eight (8 Reales).

Coins of the same design were struck again in 1978, without the inscription "QUEEN'S JUBILEE".

Later series

Most of the coins of later series have specific commemorative topics and are usually made of precious metal. The issuance of coins lasted as late as 2000.

Statistics

Principality of Hutt River is situated 517 km north of Perth, and is about 75 km² (approximately 18,500 acres) in size. Exports include wildflowers, agricultural produce, stamps and coins, while tourism is also important to its economy.

Although actual residents are very few, the principality claims a world-wide citizenry of 13,000.

It has no standing army, but a number of its citizens have been awarded military commissions, honorary guardsmen attend the Prince on formal occasions, and despite being completely landlocked, it apparently possesses a navy - at least naval commissions have been conferred on supporters of the Principality.

It is governed by its founder Prince Leonard and his family, including his wife Princess Shirley and son and heir Crown Prince Ian.

Since 2 September 2004, Hutt River Province Principality has had the authority to accept company registrations. At least one company experienced in the registration of entities in traditional offshore jurisdictions (British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands etc.) as tax havens has been authorised to act as a registered agent for HRP incorporations. A variety of Licenses are also available. No Australian resident is allowed to take advantage of this legislation.

Hutt River also allows car registrations, including issuing of licence plates to overseas vehicles.

The Principality has only one settlement, called Nain which is named after a small settlement in Galilee that has a similar landscape and building layout.

Government

When the Principality of Hutt River seceded, a Bill of Rights was drafted. This Bill of Rights was, as the name suggests, a brief document outlining the rights of "Hutt River" citizens. It also provided for an Administration Board to govern over the Principality until a permanent form of government could be established. When Casley declared himself Prince, the Administration Board clause lost effect, and the Hutt River Principality became a benevolent absolute monarchy with a Legislation Committee to draft new legislation. In 1997, the Legislation Committee finished a proposal for a constitution and presented it to the Prince and his Cabinet. Although the Prince and Cabinet are still yet to officially adopt and promulgate the proposal, it is not without effect, as there is a decree stating that any constitution will be in effect while still under consideration except for clauses that conflict with the Bill of Rights. To this end, the proposal remains in effect as a sort of provisional constitution, and the Prince and Cabinet do not appear to intend to adopt the constitution very soon.

Royal Family

Prince Leonard is the name and title that has been used by Leonard George Casley and his supporters since his creation of the Hutt River Principality, the oldest and most widely known micronation in Australia. Prince Leonard is the Sovereign of that entity, which he claims is an independent state — a position that is not supported officially by the government of Australia.

Prince Leonard pursued a number of occupations before purchasing a large wheat farm near Geraldton, Western Australia in the 1960s. In 1970, after a long-running dispute over quotas with the Australian Wheat Board, he declared the "secession" of his 75 square kilometre property from the Commonwealth of Australia, based on his unique interpretation of British and Australian constitutional law.

Despite his advancing years the Prince is known as a keen-minded "bush lawyer". He is also an adherent of hermeticism, a subject on which he has privately published a number of research papers. Casley is married to "Her Serene Highness Princess Shirley" (née Shirley Butler), by whom he has seven adult children, among them "His Royal Highness Crown Prince Ian" (Ian George Casley, born 1947), who has been designated as his eventual successor as "Sovereign Prince".

Many Australians are somewhat familiar with the Principality of Hutt River and know of "Prince Leonard". Some Australians view him affectionately as a harmless eccentric and view his tenacity in taking on "big government" with wry amusement, while others believe him to be looking for a fight where none exists. He is the subject of a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Australia, in Canberra, an exhibit that acknowledges the fact that the Principality of Hutt River has successfully seceded from the Commonwealth of Australia.

Recent events

To celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of the Prince and Princess, HRP released new coins to celebrate the event. This was the first new coinage minted since 2000. There was a number of awards given at the event. European Television crews visited the Principality to film the celebrations and formalities, held Easter 2007.

References

"Mini-states Down Under are sure they can secede", by Nick Squires, The Daily Telegraph (UK), 24 February 2005.
"If at first you don't secede…", by Mark Dapin, The Sydney Morning Herald — Good Weekend, 12 February 2005, pp 47-50
"Unusual World Coins", by Colin R Bruce, Krause Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-87349-793-7, p240